Israel-Egypt border fence to block migrants and militants
The office of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says the Cabinet has approved a $160-million programme designed to stanch the flow of illegal African migrants into Israel.
The plan calls for speeding up construction to complete a border fence with Egypt within the coming year. It is also meant to keep out Islamist militants.
The programme also involves the construction and expansion of detention facilities to hold the illegal migrants.
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The Prime Minister’s office said in a statement that the plan, which was approved in principle last year, received funding on Sunday.
Israel says that since 2006, more than 40 000 migrants from Sudan, Eritrea and other African nations have sneaked into the south of the country through the porous border with Egypt.—Sapa-AP
